Sixteen states and the District of Columbia are suing President Donald Trump's administration for what they say is the unlawful withholding of over $2 billion in funding for two electric vehicle charging programs, according to a federal lawsuit announced Tuesday.
The lawsuit filed Tuesday in the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Washington is the latest legal battle that several states are pursuing over funding for EV charging infrastructure that they say was obligated to them by Congress under former President Joe Biden, but that the Department of Transportation and Federal Highway Administration are "impounding."
"The Trump Administration's illegal attempt to stop funding for electric vehicle infrastructure must come to an end," California Attorney General Rob Bonta said in a release.
"This is just another reckless attempt that will stall the fight against air pollution and climate change, slow innovation, thwart green job creation, and leave communities without access to clean, affordable transportation."
The Department of Transportation did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
The Trump administration in February ordered states to halt spending money for EV charging that was allocated in the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, passed under the previous administration.
Several states filed a lawsuit in May against the administration for withholding the funding from the $5 billion National Electric Vehicle Infrastructure program for a nationwide charging buildout.
A federal judge later ordered the administration to release much of the funding for chargers in more than a dozen states.
Tuesday's separate lawsuit addresses the withholding of funding obligations for two other programs: $1.8 billion for the Charging and Fueling Infrastructure Grant program, as well as about $350 million in Electric Vehicle Charger Reliability and Accessibility Accelerator money.
Tuesday's lawsuit is led by attorneys general from California and Colorado, joined by the attorneys general of Arizona, Delaware, Illinois, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, New Jersey, New York, Oregon, Rhode Island, Vermont, Washington, Wisconsin, and the District of Columbia and the governor of Pennsylvania.
The Trump administration has been hostile to EVs and has dismantled several policies friendly to cleaner cars and trucks that were put in place under Biden, in favor of policies that instead align with Trump's oil and gas industry agenda.
Once in office a second time, Trump immediately ordered an end to what he has called Biden's "EV mandate."
Biden set a goal for electric vehicles to make up half of all new U.S. vehicle sales by 2030.
He set stringent tailpipe emissions and fuel economy rules in an effort to encourage more widespread EV uptake, as the auto industry would have had to meet both sets of requirements with a greater number of EVs in its sales mix.
Under the Biden administration, consumers could also receive up to $7,500 in tax incentives off the price of an EV purchase.
The Trump administration has proposed rolling back both tailpipe rules and gas mileage standards, cut fines for automakers that fail to meet those standards, and eliminated EV credits.
The lawsuit comes amid those regulatory changes and as EV sales have slowed in the U.S. as buyers remain concerned about both charging availability and the price of the vehicles.
New EVs transacted for an average of $58,638 last month, compared with $49,814 for a new vehicle overall, according to auto buying resource Kelley Blue Book.
Automakers, meanwhile, have responded to consumers accordingly.
Earlier this week, Ford Motor Co. announced it was pivoting away from its once-ambitious, multibillion-dollar electrification strategy in lieu of more hybrid-electric and more fuel-efficient gasoline-powered vehicles.
In the spring, Honda Motor Co. also said it would take a significant step back from its EV efforts.
Still, EVs are gaining traction in other areas around the world.
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